


You're my Paradise

by LeafyDream



Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Bad Days, F/M, Feel-good, Living Together, Love, Romance, Shipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-08
Updated: 2016-04-08
Packaged: 2018-06-01 00:05:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6493168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeafyDream/pseuds/LeafyDream
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Naoto has a bad day and wonders if she isn't just making her boyfriend, Yu Narukami, more miserable. He deserves so much better. He explains how utterly stupid that idea is. After all, how can his life get any better? He's dating Naoto Shirogane.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You're my Paradise

**Paradise**

"Senpai, I am so sorry," Naoto sighed. "The case is going on longer than expected. and they require my service for a while longer. They seem desperate and I-"

"Naoto. It's okay. I understand."

"I cannot express how sorry I am for this, Senpai. I-"

"Naoto. It's okay. I promise."

"... Alright. I will talk to you to you tomorrow, Senpai. I..." A flush formed on Naoto's cheeks as she stammered. She could hear her boyfriend laugh on the other end of the call.

"I love you too. Talk to you tomorrow, Paradise."

The call ended, and Naoto was left confused as she went over what she had heard. "Paradise?"

Back in Inaba, Yu let out a deep sigh as he looked at the meal set out in front of him. The cake needed to be put away, the candles needed to be put out, and he'd have to return the mystery movies he'd rented back to the store. He took in a breath and got to work.

* * *

**WILL BE BACK HOME SOON. ETA: TOMORROW, 9 PM.**

Naoto pushed her phone back into her pocket and looked up at the police officers. The case had been solved and she was thanked several times over by the department. Unfortunately this was a double edged sword. The officers had insisted Naoto accompany them to a celebration at a nearby inn, with her as the guest of honor. It was an appreciated gesture, but it meant it would take even longer to return to her boyfriend.

"So, Shirogane, you got a special someone back home?" One of the officers asked, grinning.

"Oh, um... Y-yes, I do. His name is Yu Narukami." There was a faint blush on her face, just from addressing to her relationship with her dear Senpai. Not out of shame, obviously, but out of fear that she would go on and on about her best friend and lover.

"Awww, that's cute," one man chuckled. "How long you two been dating?"

"Our fifth anniversary was just a month ago."

The men and women cooed at the statement. Naoto was sure several of them were drunk, but shrugged it off. "That's so cute that you two have stuck together for so long," a young woman giggled.

"Yeah, can't be easy for the poor guy," one of the younger cops chuckled, only to be elbowed. "Ow! What?" The young man frowned at his friend, before noticing the stare Naoto was giving him. "Oh. Uh... I was just saying, I mean, you ain't home a lot, I assume?" The bluette's silence was enough of an answer. "You leave a guy alone long enough, he's bound to get a little frisky, know what I mean?"

"Frisky? Are you implying Senpai would cheat on me?" Naoto was so taken back by the accusation she didn't even realize she had referred to Yu as her Senpai.

"No! I mean, no? I mean, guy's are guys. We like-OOF!" The young man was elbowed again, but the damage was done.

 _Senpai would not do that. He wouldn't. He would remain faithful to me, I know he would._ But a little voice in Naoto's head called doubt pulled that into question. _But I'm hardly there for him of late. I've been so busy, so distant from him. I'm sure he could find someone who would at least come home every night, instead of leaving for days, even weeks._

She looked down, staring at herself. While she was more willing to dress in a way more flattering to her female body, she still had a rather 'tomboyish' style. She preferred wearing pants more than a skirt in public, not to mention her aversion to more revealing outfits. She dressed practically, with function above fashion. Simple, boring, beige outfits, or if she was feeling truly 'adventurous,' she would wear something blue.

_Compared to Rise or Ebihara, I must appear so dull. Even Chie-senpai has more of a flair than me..._

"I should go," Naoto muttered, standing up from her seat. Without another word, she quickly walked towards the exit, bidding a hasty goodbye to the officers. As she ran off, she considered texting Senpai, just to tell him she loved him. Her thumb hovered over the the number pad before slipping the phone back into her pocket.

* * *

Naoto swore under breath as she was informed the bus driver had stopped in the middle of the woods. The night sky was cloudy; neither the stars nor the moon could be seen.

Judging from the additional roughness the drive had suddenly taken, it would appear the man had a flat tire. She looked out the window to see the harsh fall of the rain and the crash of thunder. The sound didn't scare her, rather, it made her long for home and the arms of a certain silverette.

The bluette grabbed her hat and quickly followed the driver out of the bus. "Do you require assistance?" The rain fell on her like a wave from the beach as soon as she stepped out. She held up her arm to block some stray drops as the elderly driver looked up at her. He was a wrinkled and balding individual, probably getting ready to retire in the coming months. He held up an umbrella as he struggled to change the tire.

"T-thank you, Miss. I'm afraid these old bones aren't as strong as they used to be."

"It is quite alright, I am happy to help." Naoto quickly put her all in replacing the tire. She was by no means a mechanic, but basic skills and the older driver's advice made her good enough. It wasn't long before she was tightening the bolts with a large tire iron for the elder.

"Make sure you get her nice and tight."

"R-right!" She groaned. She shifted her weight slightly, moving to better tighten the screw. Unfortunately the heavy rain had made the once solid ground into a muddy and slippery death trap. "Whoa!" Naoto toppled backwards, falling into the mud and splattering it all over herself as she laid on the ground.

"Oh. I... I think that's tight enough. S-sorry, Miss."

"It's... It is quite alright," the detective muttered. Inside, she was fuming, and it only worsened as she realized her phone had fallen out of her pocket to be buried in the rain and mud. She picked up the device, but it didn't take a genius to realize it was of little use for anything more than a paperweight now. "Damn it..."

* * *

_11:15 PM._

Yu looked away from the clock and texted Naoto again. It was the fifth message today, but he couldn't help but feel a sense of worry for his girlfriend. She usually at least texted him if something was wrong. He walled off the more depressing answers to his question and tried to focus on the dinner he had made for them. With a sigh, he began to pack it up and put it in the fridge for another day.

* * *

_1 AM._

Naoto swore again and again as she ran. She damned the traffic on the road and she damned her broken cell phone and she damned the apologetic old driver and she damned that police officer for poisoning her mind with doubt. She had sat and stewed in the bus for hours, stuck in cold, sticky clothing that made her skin crawl. She had gotten most of the mud off of her, but there were still plenty of stains on her favorite blue blazer and matching pants.

Not to mention she couldn't stop thinking, fearing the possibility of Senpai being with someone else. After all, there were thousands, if not millions of other girls in the world who could fulfill the simple task of arriving on a specified time. Naoto was not one of them. She practically stabbed her key into the lock of their home's door. The lights were off as she walked in, dragging dried up mud into their humble home.

She promised herself she would clean that up later as she threw her blazer into a basket beside their washing machine. She held her hat in trembling hands as she looked into their bedroom. There was the silver haired man, sleeping on their bed. He was alone, she noted, before scolding herself for even thinking there was a possibility he wouldn't be. She gently pushed the door open to enter.

Judging by his outfit, he hadn't fallen asleep by choice. In fact, he looked ready to leave the house. His cell phone rested in his limp hand. _How many times must he have tried to call or text me...?_ With a heavy heart and a quiet sigh, she picked up the phone and looked through his recent messages to her. _He had called me several times and sent me ten messages?_ Just reading the some of the messages he had sent her made the young woman angry and loathing towards herself.

**Excited to see you soon! Love you! :3 :3 :3**

**What would you like for dinner when you get back? :o**

**Be careful. I heard it's raining pretty hard out there. :/**

**You okay?**

**It's getting late.**

**I'm sorry if I did something wrong to upset you. Please text or call me back so we can talk about it.**

**I love you.**

**Please be okay...**

"Senpai... I'm so... I'm so sorry," she whispered to his sleeping form . Tears had begun to form in the corners of Naoto's eyes, and before she knew it, the floodgates were open. "You deserve so much better than me. You deserve someone beautiful, someone who is there when they say they will be. Someone isn't gone for hours, even days. Someone who is..." She rubbed her arm against her face as her vision blurred. She pulled on her sapphire locks and dug her nails into her scalp. She cursed herself, even cursing her family name. How many nights must her lover spend alone because of her? How many hours go by with him fearing that the last time he saw her might just be...

"Shhh... Hey. It's okay."

"W-what?" She rubbed at her eyes again, scratching away at the tiny droplets. Yu was laying on their bed, looking up at her with a soft smile. "Senpai, I-I'm sorry. I must have woken you and-"

"Shhh. You didn't. My Naoto-senses were tingling."

"Your...?"

"Naoto-senses. They tingle whenever I feel something is bothering you," the man yawned. Without any warning, his arm latched around Naoto's shoulder and pulled her down, into his embrace. She fell onto the bed, laying on top of him as he laughed. "Hey, Paradise."

"S-Senpai! Please! I'm a mess, I-"

"You're gorgeous. Now shhh. Listen to me." He had his arms around her, trapping her against his chest. She blushed, her face warm from it and her tears.

Despite her recent outburst, laying there, feeling her boyfriend's embrace, feeling his soft hand gently caress her now sore locks... Her tears had long stopped as he kept her close to him. "I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you. There's no one else in the world I love more than you. You're my Paradise, Naoto Shirogane. You're smart, kind, brave, and, despite your personal belief, beautiful as all hell."

"Senpai..." The rush of compliments brought a blush to her cheeks once more. She couldn't help it, not when she heard his gentle tone and loving voice. She wouldn't admit it, but the petting was a feeling she adored and missed as well...

"If I wanted someone who I knew would be here every hour of every day, I would have dated someone else. But I don't want that. I want you. I want a detective who has to go off saving the day in some far off town, or who has to stay up late working on some puzzle or mystery. I want someone dedicated to their work, even when they want to give up and stop trying. I love you, Naoto Shirogane. I love you, I love you, I love you." The young man yawned again as Naoto's tears gently touched his shirt.

He heard her sobs and whimpers and that just made his embrace stronger. He only pulled away to move her closer to his lips. He kissed her tears away and left butterfly kisses on her rosy cheeks. "I don't want anyone else, but you. I love and adore you. Everything you think that hurts me, hurts us? It is worth it, just so I can see you smile or hear you laugh. I love you, my little Paradise, and I will tell you that forever and again. I'm here for you, and I always will be..."

"Senpai..."

"Heh. We should go make dinner together."

"A-a little bit longer, please..."

"Hm... Okay," the silverette mumbled.

"Can you... Would you mind continuing to pet me?"

"Hmmm... I'd love to."

They laid their in silence, the only sound being their breathing and the gentle caresses Yu gave Naoto's head and back. The young woman shifted slightly, now laying beside him, her head on his chest, and her own arms now wrapped around her Senpai. The two enjoyed each other's company as she thought. "Senpai?"

"Hm?"

"You called me Paradise. Why?"

"Because being with you, wherever it is, is Paradise."

**END**


End file.
